By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire on Neptune Street, near the intersection of Cardinal, in Dorval in the early afternoon of Aug. 5.

The call came in at 12:38 p.m., with a second alarm issued at 12:46 p.m. Approximately 30 trucks and 60 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. The blaze was subdued shortly before 2 p.m.

Montreal Fire Department section chief Alain Laflamme told The Suburban that the fire started outside a single-tenant residence and quickly spread to a neighbouring property. Both houses are located less than one kilometre away from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. 

The adjacent building, a house divided into two apartments, suffered the most extensive damage, according to Laflamme. The occupants of that home were absent at the time, while other nearby residents were safely evacuated.

Crews faced additional hazards due to the presence of two major propane reservoirs – each containing about 400 litres. “These types of reservoirs are typically used for pool heating or heat pumps on the property,” Laflamme explained. At least one of the reservoirs exploded into flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly. 

No injuries were reported and no pets were declared on site.

Fire officials say there is no indication that the blaze was criminal in nature.

The perimeter set up around the properties, with the collaboration of Montreal police (SPVM) officers, had remained in place as of 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 5, while the fire department continued its examination of the site.